Siblings, Elenah and Teveran are thrust into a secret war of space magicians that will decide the fate of the galaxy.

But a darkness swells in the galactic depths, magicians wielding magic not seen for millennia, and as the struggle for power grows more desperate, the children might find themselves fighting on opposite sides of the conflict.

Guest Post –Writing space based plots (and any research that goes into it)

First of all, thanks for having me!

In terms of what writing in space can do for the story: It’s great! One of my favourite parts of writing is building expansive worlds where multiple stories can be told, and therefore letting characters travel through space creates endless possibilities. Though, I think it’s important not to go overboard with it. In the Magicus Eye galaxy (where Daughter of Etheron takes place), there are ninety-four habitable planets and, as you might expect, keeping them consistent is a real balancing act that I think is one of the most difficult things to accomplish in this genre. Despite the sweeping scope, you have to make sure everything feels like it’s in the same universe, and that took multiple revisions. I must have tried three or four different galaxy variations in the process of fine-tuning this; it was surprisingly one of the most difficult things to get right. Ultimately, I think the key is in the fine details, and in showing the effects of major galactic events hitting multiple planets in a kind of ripple effect, which can be reflected in their landscapes, histories and cultures.

I actually didn’t do a whole heap of research for Daughter of Etheron—relatively speaking. The kind of research I did would probably align closer to that of a fantasy author than it would of a science fiction author. Obviously I’m following some known laws of space, such as “you die if you go outside,” but I’m taking a cue from George Lucas and allowing some leeway in terms of things like sound and fire for dramatic purposes. There’s actually a line spoken by one of the characters that does sneakily address these differences—although I’m not sure Neil deGrasse Tyson would be over-the-moon about it. And I think that is an important point no matter what you’re writing: If you’re breaking known science, you have to address it in some way. I had so many early readers mistake little quirks of my world for scientific errors before I stuck a lantern on them in the story. Maybe this is just because I’m using space as a plot device in what is really a fantasy saga at its heart. However, not everything has been pulled out of nowhere, and if you want to write science fiction either in our galaxy or someplace similar to ours, places like NASA’s own website and also Bad Astronomy are some good places to start. Also find professionals if you can.

About the Author

Brandon Young is the debut author of the Saga of the Magicus Eye. He’s also a musician, gamer, and avid Star Wars fan living in Melbourne, Australia.

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